Speak with your votes

Citizens of Baldwin. After observing the candidates in the Council Forum last Thursday night. I was very encouraged to see a lot of highly qualified new blood seeking office in our city. I think it bodes well for our community that these people feel strongly enough about our current situation to dedicate their time and efforts to make Baldwin City a better community. A number of issues were discussed and I found some of the points of view fascinating. Ken Wagner's conversations with KCPL and what a different viewpoint than what is fed to us by the current administration, was enlightening, if you will pardon the pun! Also of note was the issue of dealing with the vast amount of paperwork and information that is dropped on our elected city officials only 72 hours before a meeting where they must vote on this data. Obviously receiving a packet of information on a Friday and being asked to decide on that data the following Monday night is preposterous. It is clear to me that some sort of shakeup is necessary at City Hall to ensure that data is distributed to our elected officials, with enough lead time to ensure that informed decisions are made by our council members. Also I would like to take the opportunity to highlight George McCrary's views on recreation and the business of government being run like a business. George has some excellent ideas on recreation for our community and brings a lot of decision making ability coupled with knowledge to the table.

I encourage the citizens to study the responses of all the candidates and look for the ones that have plans and fresh ideas for our city. I am always concerned by candidates that do not directly answer a question or offer up a "I will study that after I am elected" response. What our council needs are people that are capable of speaking there own minds on issues and are not a product of interested parties that back that candidate.

With that in mind if elected I look forward to working with both George McCrary and Ken Wagner. I encourage the citizens of Baldwin to throw their support and votes behind these two individuals. George and I have known each other since the seventh grade. We were active in Baldwin High School and served together as officers of our student council body. It is no exaggeration that we were

interested in the democratic process even before we were eligible to vote. George and I traveled together to Washington D.C. as high school juniors to study our government and this has left an indelible mark on our way of thinking, and level of involvement. Oddly enough George and his family returned to Baldwin City the same week that my family moved back to town. And to draw the parallels to an extreme, George and I were born on the same day. Although George and I share a lot of history together, neither one of us is afraid to voice differing viewpoints and discuss these issues. We know and respect each other and will work together well.

Ken Wagner is a proven businessman who has brought more jobs and tax revenue to Baldwin City in the last three years than anyone else. He is a decisive leader, that makes informed sound decisions. He believed strongly enough in this community to make a large commitment to Baldwin. I have enjoyed my conversations with Ken and his viewpoints have helped round out my opinions on a number of issues facing our city. Myself, George McCrary and Ken Wagner are alike in the fact that we operate successful businesses, we understand the bottom line, and we are 100 percent committed to tax relief and improvement in the quality of life in Baldwin City.

In closing I encourage the people of Baldwin to speak with their votes and pass these people on to the general election. We have a good group of people here who want to serve Baldwin with new ideas, new ways to fix old problems, and will move us well on our way to those "FOUR FRESH FACES" that are needed in our city administration. Please vote on Feb. 27.